Manchester City skipper Vincent Kompany a target for Barcelona

Barcelona have put Manchester City defender Vincent Kompany at the top of their summer wants list, according to reports.

The Catalan giants see the Belgian international as a possible long-term replacement for 34-year-old captain Carles Puyol, who will miss the rest of the season after knee surgery.

Kompany was a key player in last season’s Premier League-winning campaign and City have missed their skipper badly since he picked up a calf injury playing against Stoke at the end of January.

The 26-year-old only penned a six-year deal last year but the Mail on Sunday claims Barca could move for Kompany after he was criticised by City boss Roberto Mancini for opting to play for his country in the recent World Cup qualifier against Macedonia.

Mancini wanted Kompany to miss the game and rest his calf longer and admitted he was disappointed he didn’t heed his advice.

Kompany man: But will Mancini be able to fend off Barca’s interest? (picture: Getty)

Regardless of whether Barcelona do move for Kompany, Mancini knows he still needs to strengthen his squad further if they are to keep pace with Manchester United, who seem poised to take their Premier League crown this term and who they meet in a crunch derby showdown at Old Trafford on Monday.

Mancini said: ‘We need to improve our team this way, and then maybe for the next three or four years we’ll only need to buy one player.

‘In the summer we need to buy important players who can improve our team.